Martijn Krabbé (56) is terminally ill, presenter has metastatic lung cancer: 'Still, there is a lot to be very happy about'

A little less than a year ago, in early March, Martijn Krabbé (56) announced that he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer. In the months that followed, the RTL presenter occasionally gave an update on his situation, although the severity of the disease was never discussed. He does now, for the first time, in an interview with Linda . Martijn has metastatic lung cancer, in stage four, which can no longer be cured. "That is of course very unfortunate. And yet there is much to be very happy about."

"That is sad news, but I also see enough opportunities to do something with it. There are still several treatment options. For my family, this is the hardest. Fortunately, I can say that they are strong and even talk about it with humor. There is not much to laugh about cancer, but they did it, you know. With love you actually conquer everything. So I am in a good position anyway."

Martijn Krabbé suffered a brain hemorrhage before being diagnosed with lung cancer

Just over a month earlier, the presenter of ratings hits such as Idols , X factor and The voice of Holland had been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in its final stages during his holiday in Thailand. In a major double interview with his daughter Michelle in the magazine Linda , which he himself called his 'coming out', Martijn says that prior to his diagnosis he had been suffering from daily splitting headaches for a month.

He initially blamed it on 'too much stress' and 'overwork', but after a few days in Thailand, where he was with his wife Deborah, he suddenly found himself unable to speak: a brain haemorrhage, which had resulted from the metastasis in his head, originating from his right lung lobe.

'Very difficult moment' for Martijn Krabbé

Once back in the Netherlands, the presenter spent three more days in the hospital, where all the tests were performed on him again. Not much later, the diagnosis was confirmed. Until then, his wife, as Martijn describes it, had to 'put on a nice front', because he did not want his children Bickel, Michelle, Jasmijn and Achilles to hear the terrible news about their father's illness by phone.

"Only then did we all sit down at this table," says Martijn in the interview, "that was a very difficult moment. (...) We all cried, but then you (his children, ed.) said: we will only cry when the time is right. And enjoy the time that is left. I thought that was very brave."

Focus mainly on the hope that is there

Although the diagnosis must have come as a hammer blow, Martijn knows from the start to focus on the chance of improvement that still exists. The doctor told him that a patient with this form of cancer has a fifty percent chance of surviving the first few months.

"So I said: I'm a really lucky guy , what else do we have that's good? Well, the immunotherapy that I'm getting is working really well. The cancer in my right lung, which manifested itself quite extensively, is keeping quiet. And because of the treatments, there are even spots that are disappearing. But yes: it can't be cured anymore. That's a shame, of course. And yet there's a lot to be very happy about."

'Never seen so happy'

Martijn says that he has rediscovered himself. He experiences his life much more intensely and enjoys life much more, such as the memories he makes with his family. He actually looks at everything with different eyes. This is confirmed by daughter Michelle in Linda : "It sounds crazy, but I have never seen daddy as happy as he is now."

See also:

Dutch celebrities encourage terminally ill Martijn Krabbé: 'You are an inspiration'

Whether Martijn will return to television is still uncertain. Last summer it was initially announced that he had started working on his popular television program Buying without watching . "We recorded an episode this week that Martijn was there, so it's going well," his colleague, renovation expert Bob Sikkes, told the camera of Shownieuws in August . "He doesn't say much about it himself and I'm not going to either."

Shooting days Buy without looking

That attempt to return to his previous life rhythm, however, turned out to be a bit too hasty. In November, RTL announced that Martijn's shooting days on location were being observed by eight colleagues: Chantal Janzen, Marieke Elsinga, Miljuschka Witzenhausen, Caroline Tensen, Daphne Bunskoek, Beau van Erven Dorens, Ruben Nicolai and Jamai Loman. They each recorded an episode of Kopen zonder kijken . The voice-over was still provided by Martijn.

What the future will look like is unclear. For the time being, Martijn does not see a chance to work due to his lack of energy. However, he made himself heard via Instagram earlier this month with an indestructible optimism by means of a hopeful message. "We are on track. Let the new year come!"